Geothermal Heating, Cooling, and Dehumidification Ventilation System

Abstract

A system designed to introduce fresh air ventilation into the living space, eliminate contaminants, and add fresh air to augment a building's HVAC system. This is done in order to save energy, and the costs associated with heat loss or gain in a building. The system employs the use of geothermal energy conferred to air via a cavity which is constructed in the basement, on the slab, foundation, in the crawl space and/or attic of a building. This cavity is created to circulate, absorb and store/release the geo-solar characteristics of a building, taking advantage the consistent subterranean temperature of the earth and/or sun, in order to warm air from outside during the winter minimizing the foundation heat sink, and cool air during the summer. One or more heat exchangers are used to transfer the energy from contaminated air in the cavity to clean air destined for the HVAC system.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for regulating comfort of a building through geothermal energy conservation comprising:
 an air system intaking fresh hot/humid air via an intake;   the air system routing the fresh hot/humid air to a heat exchanger;   the heat exchanger cooling the fresh hot/humid air, converting the fresh hot/humid air to cool fresh/humid air;   routing the cool fresh/humid air underground into a geo-loop exchange;   routing the cool fresh/humid air into a top portion of an evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier converting the cool fresh/humid air to cooler dryer air;   the air system routing the cooler dryer air to the building;   the air system collecting cool stale/dry air from the building;   the air system routing the cool stale/dry air to the heat exchanger;   the heat exchanger converting the cool stale/dry air to hot stale/dry air;   the air system routing the hot stale/dry air to a bottom portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier humidifying the hot stale/dry air to humid air causing chilling of a substrate evaporative pad surface that wicks moisture from the condensing cool fresh/humid air passing through the top portion in the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier; and   the air system routing the humid warmer air out of the air system via an exhaust.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 water condensing within the top portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   condensed water collecting on a mesh;   the water dropping down to the bottom portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier through the water-permeable substrate evaporative pad surface; and   the water evaporating by the hot stale/dry air.   
     
     
         3 . An evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier system for use with structural air systems equipped with a geothermal mass component comprising:
 routing cool fresh/humid air underground into a geo-loop exchange to create cooler fresh/humid air;   routing the cooler fresh/humid air into a top portion of an evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   wherein the top portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier is equipped with a condensating surface and a substrate;   wherein the substrate is water-permeable;   water condensing on the condensating surface within the top portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   water of the substrate transferring to a bottom portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier converting the cooler fresh/humid air to cooler dryer air by transferring the water of the substrate to the bottom portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier;   water that has been transferred to the bottom portion through the substrate to hot stale/dry air; and   the air system routing the cooler dryer air to the building.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the condensating surface has a large surface area. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 the substrate wicking water from the condensating surface.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier is underground. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier is underground. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the condensating surface is composed of at least one of the following: natural sponge, agricultural capillary matts, clay, plastic, and graphite. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein said ‘the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier converting the cooler fresh/humid air to cooler dryer air by transferring the water of the substrate to the bottom portion of the evaporator-condensator-dehumidifier’ is achieved via gravity-assisted wicking of water through the substrate down to the evaporative pad. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the geo-loop is composed of subterranean tubing.